Starting mechanism for explosive-engines.



R. E. WETZEL. STARTING MBOHANISM FON EXPLOSIVB ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED IEB. 17, 1913.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Witnesses COLUMNA PLANOGRAPM C0., WASHINGTGN. n, c.

srarns ,PATENT orricn.

RHEEM E. WETZEL, OF MOWEAQUA, ILLINOIS.

STARTING' MECI-IANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

resetear.

To all whom it may concern,

Be it known that I, Rit-mm1 E. VETZIJL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moweaqua, in the county of Shelby and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Starting Mechanism for Explosive- Engines, of which the following is a specilication.

The present invention relates to improvements in starting mechanisms for explosive engines, the primary object of the present invention being the provision of means whereby the power pistons of the engine are controlled to compress air to store the same within a tank, the air being employed through a manually controlled mechanism for imparting reciprocation to the power pistons of the explosive engine when it is desired to initially start the same.

A further object of the present invention for each cylinder of the engine, which is rendered operative or inoperative, when desired, to permit of the induction into the cylinders of the engine compressed air to propel the pistons at the initial starting of the engine.

.A still further object of the present invention is the provision of manually controlled selective means whereby the storage tank may be supplied during the running of the engine.

-With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the installation of the present starting mechanism with a fivecylinder explosive engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through one cylinder of an explosive engine equipped with the present invention, the parts being in the position they assume just previous to the introduction of a starting charge. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts in the position they assume at the end of the starting stroke due to the movement thereof by air pressure.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 17, 1913.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914. Serial No. 748,995.

designates the crank case and base of the engine, 2 the cylinder and 3 the power piston, said piston being connected through a piston rod 4 to the crank shaft 5, and said crank shaft 5 imparting power rotation through the gears (i and 7 to the counter shaft 8. This shaft has mounted thereupon one to each cylinder of the engine a cam 9, whose groove l0 is of peculiar construction and is formed to operate the intake valve controlling lever 11, which operates the slide valve 12 and permits the introduction of the charge of carburcted air into the intake channel or port 13 of the cylinder. The lubricating mechanism consisting of the stem 14: is operably connected to the cam groove 10 and has its pump plunger 141 disposed for reciprocation within the pump cylinder 15 1 connected to the base of the engine. is the provision of a valve controlling means f Connected' to each cylinder and disposed to communicate with the intake port 13 thereof, is a casing 16, provided with a removable valve limiting member 17, there being a wing valve 1S mounted in the lower end of the casing and controlling the port 19 to the port or channel 13, the outlet end of the port 19 being controlled by the spring closed valve 20, the purpose of which will presently appear.

Connected to the upper inletend of the casing 1G, is a conduit 21, which is connected to the main conduit 22, leading to and from the air storage tank Q3, the same being provided with a sight gage Q4, so that the operator may be notified of the amount of pressure within the tank.

A valve 2O is carried by the angularly disposed stem 25, there being one of these stems to each cylinder, and all of the stems of the motor or engine are operably connected through the medium of the yoke 26 to the manually controlled lever 27, which is disposed in ready access to the operator. By this means all of the valves 20 are opened simultaneously, the springs 2S normally retaining the valves seated when the engine is at rest and when it is not charging the tank 23.

In order to provide a means whereby the valve 18 is manually opened to permit of the pressure from the tank 23 entering the cylinder to propel the power pistons 3 at the initial starting of the engine, a tubular sleeve E29 is provided and has slidably mounted therein, the upper section 30 of the valve operating rod, said section 30 being independent of and below the lower end of the stein of the valve 18, the lower section 30 of the valve operating rod being connected pivotally as at a, so that the rod be flexed and placed in and out of valve operating position. Upon the lower' end of the section 30 is disposed a yoke 31, whose pin 32 is mounted within the slot 33 of the bell crank lever 34. This bell crank lever is pivoted within the base of the engine as at 35 and has its lower terminal 3G disposed within the cam groove 10, so that the rotation of the cam will impartl the necessary rocking movement to the bell crank lever 3a to vertically reciprocate the sectional rod 30-30, and consequently elevate the valve 18 from the position as shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3.

The valve 18 is mounted, so that the upper end of the section 30 of the operating rod will simply abut the lower end of the stem of the valve, there being no rigid connection between the two, and thus the operating rod simply serves to elevate or open the valve, while the back pressure in the pipe 21 will cause the closure of the valve.

In order to place the rod 30-30 in position for operation by the bell crank lever 34, a shaft 38 is projected longitudinally of the engine and has a handle 37 disposed in ready access to the operator, so that the shaft may be oscillated to in turn oscillate the various arms 38 which are in engagement with the lower sections 30 of the rod to move the same from the full line position as shown in Fig. 2 to the dotted line position, thus moving the pin 32 within the slot 33 of the bell crank lever 34, and placing the same so that the rod sections will have practically no movement or such a slight movement during the running of the motor as to be ineffective as to the valve 18. lVhen the pin 32 is in the outer end of the slot as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sectional rod will be reciprocated vertically to permit of the clo-sing and opening of the valve 18, and as the cams 9 are in timed relation to the power pistons 3 of the respective cylinders, the air pressure from the tank 23 is admitted to the respective cylinders at the proper time to impart the desired reciproca-tion to the power pistons and to operate the crank shaft and initially start the engine. At this time the rod 27 is also manipulated so as to open the valves 2O and thus permit a free passage of the air from the tank 23 to the selected cylinders. After the engine has started and is running explosively, the rod 37 is manipulated to move the arms 38 in dotted line position Fig. 2, so that the valve 18 will be permitted to close, `lue to the back pressure thereupon, and be held closed by the pressure in the tank 23, while in order to fill the tank with the compressed air for the next starting, the rod 27 is manipulated to unseat the valves 2O and thus permit the charging of the tank, the same being released when the pressure is sufficient.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings it is evident that with a mechanism of this character, that the cylinders receive the starting charge at the proper time, to impart to the crank shaft. the initial rotation and as the tank 23 is of the. proper size to permit of the shaft being rotated an ample number of times to insure the proper starting of the motor, an exceedingly practical device is provided, and one which is readily placed into and out of operative relation by the simple manipulation of the rod 37. lt it also apparent that the charging of the tank 23 is placed under the control of the operator, so that the valve 20 may be manipulated to insure the proper filling of the tank when necessary.

That is claimed is:

1. A starting mechanism for explosive engines, including an engine cylinder provided with an intake port, a. power piston therein, a crank shaft, a counter shaft operably connected to the crank shaft, a valve casing opening into the intake port, a pressure closed valve mounted in said casing, a cam mounted upon the counter shaft, a bell crank lever operably connected to the cam, a vertically reciprocatory rod operably connected to the bell crank lever and disposed to engage the valve, and means for controllingthe rod to move the same into and out of operative relation to the bell crank lever.

2. A starting mechanism for explosive engines, including an engine cylinder provided with an intake port, a power piston therein, a crank shaft, a counter shaft operably connected to the crank shaft, a valve casing opening into the intake port, a pressure closed valve mounted in said casing, a cam mounted upon the counter shaft, a bell crank lever operably connected to the cam, a vertically reciprocatory rod operably connected to the bell crank lever and disposed to engage the valve, means for controlling the rod to move the same into and out of operative relation to the bell crank lever, and a spring closed manually opened valve for controlling the passage of pressure fluid from the cylinder of the engine through the valve casing.

3. In a starting device for explosive engines, the combination with an explosive engine having a cylinder provided with an intake port, a power piston mounted therein, a crank shaft operably connected to the power piston, and a counter shaft operably connected to the crank shaft, of a storage tank, a conduit leading from the storage tank to the intake port of the cylinder, a

check Valve mounted in the conduit adjacent the intake port ot' the cylinder and normally held closed by the pressure Within the tank, a cam mounted upon the counter shaft, a bell crank lever opel-ably connected to the cam, a sectional rod having its lower end operably connected to the bell crank lever and its upper end disposed to be placed into operable engagement to open the Valve, and manually controlled means for flexing the sectional rod to render the same operative or inoperative relatively to the check valve.

et. ln a starting device for explosive engines, the combination with an explosive engine having a cylinder provided with an intake port, a power piston mounted there` in, a crank shaft oper-ably connected to the power piston, and a counter shaltoperably connected to the crank shaft, of a storage tank, a conduit leading from the storage tank to the intake port of the cylinder, a

cheek Valve mounted in the conduit adjacent the intake port of the cylinder and normally held closed by the pressure Within the tank, a cam mounted upon the counter shaft, a bell crank lever operably connected to the cam, a sectional rod having its lower end operably connected to the bell crank lever and its upper end disposed to be placed into operable engagement to open the valve, manually controlled means for flexing the sectional rod to render the same operative or inoperative to the check valve, and a manually controlled valve for admitting pressure from the cylinder tln'ough the conduit to the tank to recharge the tank.

.ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

RHEEM E. lWllZEL. Witnesses M. S. YARS, GLEN DAMs.

Copias ef thin patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommistioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

